


The Age-long Rivalry Between Pilots and Engineers

by Winglesss



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Engineer Castiel (Supernatural), First Kiss, IN SPACE!, M/M, Pilot Dean Winchester, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Roommates, Space Battles, Spaceships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 08:23:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17260859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winglesss/pseuds/Winglesss
Summary: Living on a space station isn´t easy. Especially when you share your quarters with someone like Castiel Novak.





	The Age-long Rivalry Between Pilots and Engineers

**Author's Note:**

> Original prompt: Roommates+Enemies to lovers
> 
> Follow me on [tumblr](http://cas-lost-grace.tumblr.com/tagged/combining-tropes) and send your own prompt if you like!

 

"How’s your roommate?" Sam asks as he drops himself on Dean’s bunk.

"I hate the guy."

Sam raises an eyebrow. "Why don’t you request a reassignment?"

"Because he always cleans his mess, doesn’t snore and sometimes does my laundry. I know there are bigger assholes than him. Like Zachariah for example," Dean shivers to demonstrate how disgusting he finds the idea.

"Still, there must be a better match for you." Sam looks guilty. He’s been Dean’s roommate ever since the academy. Until he married. Expecting a child qualifies Sam and Jess for better housing in a different part of the space station. Dean doesn’t envy them. Well, maybe a little, but he doesn’t blame Sam the way Sam blames himself.

"It’s okay," Dean dismisses Sam’s comment with a shake of his head. "We barely see each other anyway."

That’s not exactly true. They meet at their room and they meet at work. They almost always clash. All the engineers are assholes and look at the pilots as if they are a lesser species. Which is bullshit because most pilots have almost as much technical knowledge as engineers, they’re not meatheads.

But Castiel is worse than all the other engineers Dean works with combined. He has no sense of humor, he’s always grumpy and he makes it his personal goal to make Dean feel stupid at least twice a day. Also, he’s stupidly hot which only makes Dean angrier.

"You ready?" Sam asks as Dean adjusts his jumpsuit.

"Yeah, let’s go."

 

"Have you read the last check report?" Cas asks as he hands Dean the tablet.

"Of course I did," Dean grumps. At least most of it.

Cas squints dubiously and proceeds to tell him what he should be careful about. Dean rolls his eyes. "I know every noise Baby makes, I’ll know if there’s something wrong with her."

"That’s adorable, yet irrelevant. Read the report or I won’t let you out of the dock."

"Asshole," Dean mutters, opening the file.

He frowns when he realizes Cas hasn’t been exaggerating. There’s a problem with one of the ODT nozzles which might cause problems when maneuvering in high speed.

"I ordered the parts but for now you’ll just have to be careful," Cas says as if reading his mind. Dean nods and hands him the tablet.

"It’s okay, she won’t let me down."

The Impala is an older ship, but she’s in mint condition and she’s undertaken some tweaks. Where the new ships go for refined, she’s a brute force. Ideal for the part of the quarter they’re headed to today.

"Just don’t tinker with it, I don’t want you messing it up like the last time," Cas warns.

Dean rolls his eyes. "It was _once_ and the part was faulty."

"It was just once because I took away your toolkit so you couldn’t try again."

"I’ve been fixing the ship before you even started the academy, you-"

"Come on, Dean! What’s taking you so long!" Sam shouts at him over the dock.

Dean lets out an exasperated sigh and jogs to the ship.

"Good luck," Cas shouts after him. Dean replies with a mock salute.

When he gets in, Sam’s already there checking his equipment. Dean flops into his seats and starts the pre-launch check.

"Let’s go, Baby," he says with a grin and takes off.

 

Dean watches idly as Sam does his job - poking around rocks, taking samples. He occasionally squeals in excitement when he finds something interesting. It doesn’t take long for Dean to get bored. Leaning against the hull of the ship he sighs, closes his eyes and plays music into his comms. It’s officially not allowed, but he tinkered with the device so it’s undetectable by the control panel.

He relaxes as the sound of drums and guitars wash over him.

 

A shrill sound cuts through the music and snaps him out of his relaxed state. He doesn’t have to open his eyes to know what is making the sound, he doesn’t have to open his eyes to know they’re in trouble.

There’s supposed to be some biological base in Madreleerians but they are mostly mechs. Emotionless, aggressive, almost indestructible mechanic soldiers. The sound is made by their engines as they descend from the sky like a swarm of huge and deadly wasps.

Dean draws his blaster as he watches Sam look up at the closest Madreleerian. Dean shoots at the same time as Sam tries to duck but it’s too late. The mech expands one of his many libs and it cuts right through Sam’s side.

Dean hears a cry. He can’t say if it’s Sam’s or his own. He’s shooting frantically as he runs towards his brother.

The first mech is temporarily incapacitated by a blast but there are others coming and Sam is on the ground bleeding and there’s _fucking_ _rock music_ still blasting in Dean’s ears.

There’s a shot from one of the Madreleerians which barely misses Dean’s shoulder as he drops himself next to Sam.

"Dean," he gasps, clutching his bleeding side.

"I got you," Dean promises as he rips two egg-sized devices from his belt. He throws one in the direction of the Madreleerians and slams another at the ground right next to his knees.

First, there’s a flash from the closer one as a defensive field spreads in a half sphere around him and Sam. Next, there’s a brighter one as the pulse grenade goes off. There’s silence as the Madreleerians’ engines go off and the mechs freeze, some of them dropping to the ground. Dean drapes Sam’s arm over his shoulders and hauls him up ignoring his pained grunt. He knows they only have a few minutes before the Madreleerians’ systems kick in again.

He has to half drag Sam into the ship.

"Let go, I can do that," Sam growls shooing Dean’s hands away as Dean tries to strap the emergency healing device to him.

There’s a low humming noise coming from the outside as the Madreleerians are coming back to life. With a frown, he leaves Sam to it and hurries to the pilot seat.

He takes off and gets the comms going.

"Impala, we got your distress signal. What’s going on?" He recognizes Charlie's voice and it makes him feel a little better in this shitstorm.

"Fucking Madreleerians following my ass," Dean yells as he maneuvers. The worst thing about Madreleerians is that they don’t care about atmosphere and their propulsion is strong enough that they move as easily on the surface as they do in space. Right now it means there’s a bunch of them right behind him.

"How many of them? We’re sending reinforcements your way but it may take a while."

"I’ll be back to the station before they come. Just make sure the medical bay is ready, Sam is hurt."

"Sure. How bad is that?" She remains professional but there’s a hint of genuine concern in her voice. She’s Sam’s friend too.

Dean shoots at the Madreleerian that gets to his range and then risks a quick glance at Sam. It’s a mistake because Sam’s eyes are closed, he’s pale and his skin looks clammy.

"Sam? Sam! Wake up!"

"Dean?" It’s weak but it’s there. Dean’s heart is beating like crazy. The Madreleerians are closing in, they don’t have much force but there’s more of them and they’re a small target.

"Stay with me, Sammy. I’m getting us out of this."

He focuses fully on piloting. He’s good at this, he’s one of the best, he’s going to get them back to the station on time.

It almost seems like he’s going to succeed, he’s reduced the number of mechs to half and he can already see the station. Then there’s a crash and the Impala gives a violent jerk. It’s the ODT nozzle. It didn’t hold up.

"Fucking fuck!" Dean shouts as he struggles with maneuvering. At least he doesn’t have to care about the mechs because the defensive systems of the station will take care of them. At least that’s what he thinks. The problem is the Madreleerians know it too.

They switch into suicide mode. Dean stares in horror as one by one they dash towards him. The stirring is too fucked up for him to have any chance of ducking. Only a few of them get to him, but it’s enough.

"Mother fucker!" he cries out. The collision jerks him in his seat, he hits his head and something falls on his leg. He grunts in pain but tries to focus on navigating towards the dock. Controls are beeping and blinking at him frantically, alarms are going off. There’s acid splashing on his hands from a broken tube over the dashboard and there’s blood in his eye from the cut on his forehead.

"We’re dragging you in,"Charlie's voice says and it’s never sounded sweeter.

He sees the dock door opening, he sees the bright light as somebody gets him out of the ship. He knows he’s yelling Sam’s name, he knows somebody is saying his, but it all feels like he’s underwater. Then there’s darkness.

 

Dean wakes up in the medical bay and wishes he didn’t wake up at all. The emergency healing device on his ship managed to stitch Sam up and stop him from bleeding out, but there was some damage done to his inner organs and he was bleeding in.

"He’ll be alright. It will take time but he’ll be alright." Jess tells him, hands pressed tightly to her rounding belly. "You saved him. If you hadn’t gotten him back in time-" her voice hitches and she wipes off her tears.

Dean doesn’t say anything. He can’t even look her in the face.

He got out with a concussion, a busted leg and burned hands. It means he’s out of medical in days, good as new.

He steps into his quarters with a sigh.

"Hello, Dean, " comes from Cas’ bunk. Dean vaguely remembers Cas coming to the medical bay and talking to doctors, he also thinks he might be one of the people calling his name when he landed on the dock.

He doesn’t respond to the greeting and goes straight to his bed.

"Dean, I’m sorry about-"

"Don’t!" Dean barks out.

Castiel stares at him with those unnerving blue eyes of his. Then he gets up and exits the room leaving Dean to wallow in his misery.

Dean spends the day lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling.

Castiel comes back a few hours later when his shift ends. He places a food tray on Dean’s chest. Dean stares at him then at the tray. He’d love to push it away, he doesn’t need charity, but the fact is he’s hungry and going to the mass hall would mean facing people expressing their sympathy and giving him best wishes which is something he can’t deal with right now.

"Thanks," he mutters sitting up. Cas nods already turning away, then he hesitates and looks at Dean over his shoulder. "I’m working on the Impala, she’ll be as good as new in days."

Dean squeezes his eyes shut and swallows thickly. He’d give up the stupid ship in exchange for Sam’s health. But it’s not possible. And the ship isn’t to blame.

"Thank you," he says eventually.

 

 The Impala is fixed by the time Dean’s deemed physically ready to go back to work. He has to take some tests, though, to assess he’s fit mentally, too. Of course, he is. He’s sad and angry and blaming himself but he’s been like that the bigger part of his life and it has never stopped him from being a good pilot. He’s gonna ace the tests.

 

"I shouldn’t let you fly," Singer says looking up from the tablet in his hands.

"Come on, Bobby," Dean grunts kicking his feet on Bobby’s desk. Bobby pushes them off.

"Don’t come on Bobby me, son! You’re the closest thing I have to family, doesn’t mean I should make an exception for you."

"But you will," Dean shoots him a cheeky grin.

"I will, but I hate to do it. You’re not okay. Which is understandable. You should take more time to get over what happened."

"I don’t want more time."

"And you won’t get it because I don’t have enough pilots of your skill and experience."

Dean puffs up a little at that.

"But since your brother isn’t coming back to work anytime soon, I have to give you a new assignment."

"I’m dying of anticipation," Dean says coldly.

Bobby glares at him for a moment, then he hands him the tablet.

"Are you kidding me?"

"There are some jobs for an engineer outside the station and Castiel is the perfect match."

Dean grits his teeth. Sometimes it’s hard to get over the fact that he’s just an armed space cab driver.

"But you have other pilots."

"You’re the only one currently without an assignment."

Dean pinches the bridge of his nose. "Just when I thought things couldn’t be worse," he grumbles.

"The guy is your roommate, I thought you get along just fine."

"We...do. Doesn’t mean I wanna see his ugly mug twenty-four seven."

Bobby shrugs. "Guess you’ll have to get over it. You can try to ask for reassignment in a month but I can’t promise you there will be another job for you." He takes the tablet from Dean’s hands. "Or you know, you can say you don’t feel fit for getting back to work after the incident."

Dean snorts and gets up. "Can I go?"

"Yeah, you’re dismissed, Winchester."

 

Castiel stumbles to a halt when he enters their room and sees Dean sitting on the floor. Dean looks up at him through alcohol haze. He can see Castiel’s eyes roaming over him and stopping on the bottle in his hand.

"Go on, report me," Dean growls a little slurred. Alcohol is prohibited on the station. It cost him way too many credits and an equally illegal favor, but it was worth it.

Castiel moves in Dean’s direction and Dean gets a big gulp actually afraid Castiel would take it from him.

To his utter surprise Castiel sits down on the floor next to Dean, their shoulders almost touching. He reaches out his hand and looks at Dean expectantly. Dean raises an eyebrow but he hands him the bottle. He watches, transfixed as Cas’ pink lips wrap around the lip of the bottle and his Adam's apple bobs as he swallows.

He hands the bottle back, not looking at Dean.

They sit like that, drinking, for a few silent minutes. It might be the alcohol or the unexpected camaraderie that makes Dean speak up.

"It’s my fault, you know. About Sammy."

Castiel looks at him, frowning. "I thought it was Madreleerians."

Dean scoffs. "It was, but..." he takes a deep breath, then tells Cas about the tweaked comms, about the music that caused him not hearing the warning sounds.

"I was there to protect him and I didn’t."

Castiel is silent for a long moment, studying Dean’s face.

"I understand why you blame yourself."

Dean smiles bitterly and takes another sip.

"But it’s bullshit," Cas continues and Dean almost chokes. "The Madreleerians would have attacked you, music or not. You can’t be sure they wouldn’t hurt your brother if you heard them sooner. You did the best you could in the situation, you got him back to the station and _he’s going to live_." He emphasizes the words by squeezing Dean’s shoulder.

Dean stares at him, an uneasy feeling in his stomach, but at the same time, he feels his shoulders relax a little.

"You were supposed to be an asshole."

Cas snorts. "I just don’t like you lying to yourself. Like when you blame yourself for your brother’s injury or when you think you’re the best pilot of the Alliance."

Dean punches him in the shoulder which, surprisingly, makes Cas huff out a laugh. Dean’s never heard it and he likes it, he realizes he’s laughing too.

 

Dean wakes up with a hell of a headache. Castiel is standing next to his bed.

"What time is it?" he croaks.

"Time for lunch," Cas answers and puts a tray on Dean’s bedside table. Dean bolts upright and groans as his head threatens to split in (a) half.

"I missed my shift in the docks."

"No, you didn’t. I said you were sick."

Dean blinks at him. "Thanks, I guess."

Castiel nods. "I brought you some soup. It should make you feel better." With that, he leaves Dean alone.

 

So maybe he’s not such an asshole. But he’s still cold and boring and he seems just as happy about their new partnership as Dean is. Then again the poorly concealed annoyance is his default expression when he has to deal with Dean.

At least right now his disapproving stare is turned at the rattling vent of the Impala’s cabin. He’s staring at it like he thinks he might be able to exorcize it.

"I threw a toy soldier in it," Dean says into the charged silence.

"What?"

"When I was a boy. I threw a toy soldier in the vent, that’s why it rattles."

The horror on Castiel’s face is pure gold, Dean has to bite his lip not to laugh out loud.

"I’m going to fix it," Castiel grumbles turning back to the vent.

"No, you’re not."

"It’s a safety hazard."

"It’s been there for twenty years. It’s gonna stay there. It’s good luck." As the words leave his mouth he feels something cold and slimy in his stomach. There was no luck last time he flew the Impala. Fortunately, Castiel doesn’t comment on that.

"You used to fly with your father?" he asks instead. Dean blinks at him in surprise. They share a room for months but Castiel never tried making small talk.

"Yeah. I basically grew up on this ship."

"That’s why you are so sentimental about it." Dean tries to find a hint of scorn or mockery in his tone but it’s not that. He’s only stating a fact he’s just discovered.

Dean doesn't know what to say so he nods silently and just like that the conversation’s over.

 

The work is much the same with Cas as it used to be with Sam, the only difference being instead of collecting rocks and plants Castiel is repairing something or other. He seems totally immersed in his work. Dean gets bored. He’s tempted to wander around and make his own little exploration but after what happened to Sam he stays close to Cas, blaster at the ready.

 

It takes Dean two missions to break.

"What are you doing?" he asks stepping behind Cas.

Castiel frowns at him over his shoulder. "I’m repairing this transmission tower."

Dean rolls his eyes. "What _exactly_ are you doing? You have to change this relay and then? Kickback diode?"

Castiel stares at him with surprise. Dean feels a smug smile spreading over his lips.

"You know, I’m not such an idiot you think me to be. My dad used to fix pretty much everything on the Impala and he taught me a lot of that stuff."

Castiel’s surprised expression turns into a frown which is much familiar to Dean.

"I never thought you an idiot. I think you are irresponsible, reckless, impulsive and sometimes childish, but definitely not stupid."

It’s Dean’s turn to stare speechlessly. Cas gives him a whole minute to reply that Dean doesn’t make use of, then he turns back to the open panel of the tower.

"So, you know how to change a relay?" he asks casually.

"Yeah, I do."

"If we work on it together, we can cut the time it takes."

Dean grins at Cas’ back. "Yeah, that’s basic logic."

Castiel heaves a long-suffering sigh. "Grab some tools and come here."

Working side to side Dean thinks about what a display of trust it is. If Dean messed up, the blame would fall on Cas, because it’s his job. Dean’s just his pilot. He focuses hard so he doesn’t disappoint him.

 

"So, what are we gonna do with the time we spared?"

Castiel shrugs. "We can just fly back or we can go to the colony. I’ve been there before but you might like to explore it for a bit."

Dean thinks about it. Part of him wants to go back to the station and check up on Sam even though he knows it’s pointless. On the other hand, it’s good for his mind to be out of the station and especially good to be on the ground. The planet is pleasant, green and lush with mild weather, lots of trees and grass. Dean likes trees and grass.

"Let’s go to the colony."

They’re, as usual, silent as they walk. Dean doesn’t mind, he enjoys the walk, even though it makes him a little sad that Sam can’t be here with him. He’d like all the various insects.

As they get closer to the colony, Castiel gives him a little lecture about its history and the way it works. It’s surprisingly interesting.

More surprising is that they are welcomed as heroes. Apparently, the transmission tower is essential for the life of the colony.

"Thank you very much," a bulky man, who Dean assumes is the head of the colony, says and shakes their hands, "please accept an invitation to my home."

It’s a low building like the rest of them, but a little bigger. The man tells them proudly that it’s the only building with running water and electricity so they use it as a kind of community center. As they follow him to his private quarters an old woman approaches them.

"Engineers!" she calls them and grasps Castiel’s hand. "Aster bless you for your service!"

The colony is human, but they mix well with the Abbargin tribes that inhabit the planet. This woman is Abbargin judging by the markings on her skin, her claw-like hands and a long tail swishing behind her.

"Mother, please, don’t bother our guests."

Dean looks at the man and only now recognizes the strangeness of his facial features as signs of him being of mixed origin. He’s rather handsome, Dean wonders if he has a tail too.

"We feel already blessed by being invited to your home," Castiel replies politely with a little bow of his head. He’s apparently familiar with Abbargin custom. She gives him a wide toothless grin.

Still holding Castiel’s hand, she leads the way into a small homely kitchen decorated with strange trinkets. She’s babbling something in her mother tongue which Cas seems to understand at least a little bit.

"Oh, oh I understand," he says, at last, looking thoughtful.

"Mother, you ask for that!" the man scolds her, appalled.

"Will somebody explain what’s going on?" Dean asks, a bit annoyed by being left out.

"How much time do we have?" Castiel asks in place of an answer.

Dean frowns and looks at the screen on his wristband. "We should be back in four hours, it will take us two to fly there."

Castiel nods and turns to the man. "Okay. Bring me the drone and I’ll fix it. My friend here is hungry and he’d love to try some local food in the meantime."

Dean’s brain screeches to a halt. Friend? Are they friends? He never thought of Cas as a friend. Does Cas really consider him a friend or did he just use it because it was simpler than coworker?

As the woman showers Cas with her gratitude and starts bringing dishes, Dean shakes himself and starts to analyze the rest of Castiel’s sentence.

"How’d you know I was hungry?"

Castiel cocks his head the way he always does when he thinks Dean is being dumb. "Dean, you ate three protein bars since we left the station and a pack of candy. You are always hungry or at least thinking about food."

Even if Dean had had something to say to that, he wouldn’t have had the chance, because their Abbargin hostess ushers him to a table piled with food and starts explaining in thick accent what is what.

As Castiel works on the drone and Dean eats all the stuffed plants and fried insects, he thinks about the observation Castiel has made now and about how he described Dean earlier. He seems to know Dean well which makes Dean wonder if he could come up with some personal details about his roommate.

He knows that Castiel doesn’t have any family at the station and he doesn’t get much correspondence that is not work-related, much like Dean himself. He reads a lot but it’s mostly engineering stuff. He plays Hagraxan lute and is quite good at it but refuses to play when he knows Dean can hear him. He also keeps a bunch of Pifftungs in a terrarium - little furry balls that don’t move much until provoked in which case they are pretty mean (which Dean knows because stepping at them apparently counts as provocation). He also likes running and climbing which explains the exquisite body hidden under his work jumpsuit (which Dean knows about because they’re roommates, it’s not like he watches the guy when he steps out of the shower _on purpose_ ).

Satisfied with himself and chewing some kind of lizard meat he looks at Castiel who’s fixing a personal property of the old lady which definitely isn’t part of his job. He’s just doing it out of the kindness of his heart. This paired with him letting Dean help earlier and especially with his show of compassion the day he found Dean drunk in their room, makes Dean see him in a new light.

"It’s pretty kind of you to do that," he points out, gesturing towards the drone with the rest of the lizard. "Maybe you’re not an android after all."

Castiel looks up at him with a frown. "You know, some androids are able to express basic compassion."

Dean makes a face. "Nah. You’re not an android, I heard you fart."

He has to laugh at Castiel’s scandalized expression. He bows down to his work, cheeks a little pinkier than before, muttering something that sounds suspiciously like "childish."

 

"Dean," Cas breaks the silence on their way to the ship, "Do you really think I’m..."

"Acting like an android? No. I used to think you were an asshole, but I’m starting to change my mind."

Castiel comes to a halt. Dean turns to him and almost bursts into laughter when he sees Castiel’s comically widened eyes.

"You think I’m an asshole?"

Dean’s laugh dies in his throat. Castiel is genuinely shocked which is weird. Dean can be an asshole too, but at least he knows about it. Castiel might actually be unaware.

Dean takes a deep breath before he speaks.

"Look, today you said more words to me than in the months we’ve been living together and most of those were you lecturing me."

Castiel’s face turns into his trademark frown and Dean realizes it’s not an expression of disapproval, it’s just Cas deep in consideration.

"You hardly ever show any emotions, well, except being perpetually annoyed with something, mostly me."

"Well, you are annoying most of the time."

Dean huffs. "See? An asshole." He resumes walking in the direction of the Impala.

Castiel catches up after a few steps. "I admit my...people skills are lacking."

"At least you’re good with euphemisms."

"I haven’t really had a chance to improve them. I... have always kind of stood aside."

"Well, then change it! You need to socialize. I can be your wingman."

"I don’t-"

"Let’s go to a party! Maybe you will even find yourself some nice chick or dude or whatever you’re into. There are some really friendly Fyerans on the station, you know?"

He realizes he got a bit too excited when he notices Cas’ uncomfortable expression.

"Or not. If you don’t want to. I don’t even know if there’s somebody-"

"There’s nobody." Castiel submits a little too quickly and promptly averts his eyes, his cheeks turning pink.

"Okay. So. A party. A few drinks with me and my friends. Okay?"

Castiel rubs the back of his neck nervously. "I don’t want to bother you."

"Hey, I offered, didn’t I? Let’s say it’s in return for not letting me die of boredom today."

Cas gives him a small shy smile. "Alright. Thank you."

 

Castiel’s outing goes well. He’s a little awkward but Dean’s friends are good people and they take him in easily. Charlie thinks he’s adorable which Dean kind of thinks too even though he would never admit it. He has this wide-eyed expression and his hair is mussed and he looks good in his casual clothes which Dean appreciates because he usually sees him in his work jumpsuit or his PJs.

"So, you and Cas, huh?" Charlie nudges his shoulder. Dean starts a little and feels the blood rushing to his cheeks as he looks at her realizing that he’s been watching Cas.

"We’re roommates and coworkers," he says in the steadiest voice possible.

"That has been true for months and you never brought him with you before."

Dean’s lips twist into a lopsided smile. "That’s because I didn’t like him. Now I kinda tolerate him."

"You tolerate him," Charlie repeats after him in a tone full of doubt.

"Yeah and he’s a bit of a loner so I thought I’d introduce him to some people."

"Hm. That’s very nice of you."

"Yeah, I’m a nice guy."

She snorts. He punches her in the shoulder and she laughs.

"So, if it’s not Castiel is there anybody else then?"

Dean looks at his hands picking at the label on his beer bottle. He’s had a few, but it’s a low alcohol kind, the only one allowed on the station.

"I wasn’t in the mood," he says after a pause.

He knows she’s frowning without looking at her. "Oh. I get it. Sorry," she pats his shoulder. "It’s gonna be alright. I heard Sam should wake up soon."

"Should doesn’t mean he will."

"Come on, try to be a bit of an optimist. And let's dance."

Dean feels better after a few songs of messing around with Charlie. When she leaves him for the cute girl from the hydroponic garden he returns to their table where Cas is sitting alone.

"Where’s everybody?"

"Benny left for his night shift, Jo and Ash are dancing and Garth went to sleep."

Dean nods and clinks his bottle against Cas’.

"What about you? Are you having a good time?"

"Yes, your friends are very nice."

"Now they are your friends too."

He’s growing fond of the small smile.

They watch the dancers in companionable silence. It’s Cas who breaks it.

"It would be a guy."

Dean looks at him, confused.

Cas’ eyes are still on the dancefloor. "If I were looking for somebody, it would be a guy."

"Oh. Alright." There’s an uneasy feeling around Dean’s stomach that he doesn’t know where it comes from. So as always when he’s uncertain he talks. "I personally don’t care about gender." Cas looks at him with interest which for some reason makes Dean even more nervous. "I don’t care much about species either but there are some limits. Like tentacles can be fun but compound eyes give me the creeps."

Cas huffs out a laugh. "You’re incredible."

"Yeah, you’re really lucky to have me as your roommate and coworker."

The affirmative sound Cas makes around the lip of his bottle makes the feeling in Dean’s stomach almost unbearable.

 

 So it seems they’re friends now. It doesn’t mean they’re not being dicks to each other sometimes. Cas is still an uptight asshole and Dean is a reckless asshole which will always be an explosive combination. It just means that now Dean knows there’s a certain kind of sense of humor hidden under the cold demeanor and that there’s much more going on in Cas’ head than boring engineering stuff. Their snappy comments turn into easy banter and most of the times they are able to laugh off any conflicts.

Dean likes it. It’s nice to have a close friend especially now when Sam is still in the medical bay unconscious.

 

"I told you not to touch it."

"But it looked so fluffy! Ouch!" he flinches but Cas tightens his grip and holds his hand still under the emergency healing device.

"You just have to stick your hands where they don’t belong, don’t you? One of these days you’re going to get yourself killed."

Dean sticks out his tongue in a way of reply. Castiel seems to freeze a little. His eyes linger on Dean’s lips a second too long. He lets go of Dean’s hand just when the machine beeps.

"You’re healed," Cas says in a cold tone Dean hasn’t heard from him in a long time.

Confused, Dean returns to the bridge. He doesn’t try to talk to Cas who’s looking busy taping something on his tablet.

Dean gets his seat and starts configuring their route home.

"Shit," he hisses getting Cas’ attention.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, I have bad news."

Castiel frowns and comes closer so he can look over Dean’s shoulder at the screens.

"There’s a military conflict near the Saskian moon. We have to take a longer route. Seems like we’re spending the night on board. At least we have enough food."

When Cas doesn’t react Dean turns to him. There’s no color left on Castiel’s face. His breathing seems labored.

"Cas? You okay?"

"Is there any other way?" he asks, his voice weak and shaky.

Dean clicks at the screen to show him all the possible routes. "No matter which one we take, it will take us at least eight hours. I’m sorry you’re stuck with me, but it won’t be that bad, I promise."

Castiel shakes his head. "I can’t."

"What?"

Castiel is visibly shaking now.

"I can’t be here for so long. I can’t...I won’t-"

"Cas. You need to calm down, you’re hyperventilating." He pushes Cas in the seat so if he faints he doesn’t fall and hit his head.

"You don’t understand. I can’t."

Dean grabs Castiel’s hands and squeezes them tightly. "Cas, breath with me, in-" he performs a deep inhale, "and out."

"No, we have to get out. Find somewhere to land. I can’t, Dean, I can’t, I can’t."

Dean turns to the dash and after a few clicks, there’s music blaring from the speakers. It startles Cas so much he stops talking.

"Listen to the music, Cas. Try to breathe slowly."

Castiel looks at Dean’s face. His eyes are wide and blue and shiny with unshed tears. It’s obvious it takes him a great effort but he manages to sync his breathing with Dean’s.

"Well, now tell me why you can’t stand being on the ship."

Cas takes a breath, but Dean stops him. "Slow and calm, listen to the song."

Cas turns to the dash. "What is it?"

" _When the Levee Breaks_ by Led Zeppelin."

Cas frowns. "It’s old."

"Yeah. But good."

He hasn’t used the comms of the ship to play music ever since the incident. It feels good now.

"You like this old music."

"I’d say classic."

"It’s the twentieth century. It’s old."

Dean makes a face but doesn’t protest. He’s glad Cas got distracted from what made him freak out.

"How do you even get to that stuff?"

"My mom used to work in the archive."

"Oh, I see."

"So?" Dean asks. They can’t pretend there’s not a problem.

Cas sighs and bows his head. Dean realizes they’re still holding hands. He thinks of letting go, but it seems to have a calming effect on Cas, so he doesn’t.

"I hate staying on a ship for long."

"You live on a space station."

"That’s different, it doesn’t move the way a ship does and it’s bigger, there are different places on the station. On a ship small like this I feel...trapped."

"I’m sorry Cas, there’s no other way. There’s no planet we can land on safely and take a break."

Cas squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his teeth like he’s in physical pain.

"I can’t sleep here," his voice breaks.

"Cas, you need to tell me the whole thing. What’s wrong? I know this isn’t just some claustrophobic bullshit."

It takes Cas a while to gather the courage to speak. Dean gives him all the time he needs. Led Zeppelin still plays in the background.

"When I was a boy, my family was traveling through the Qaw territory. Our ship was attacked. Everybody was killed except me because my mom hid me in the cargo hold. I spent a week hidden in a crate before an ally ship flew by and (they) rescued me."

Now there are tears running down his cheeks.

"If I fall asleep on a moving ship or anywhere that’s not my room really, but ships are the worse, I get the feeling I’m back there."

Dean’s chest aches as he sees his friend broken and vulnerable like this. It all makes sense now. Castiel’s lack of social skills, him being closed off. The awful story shines a new light on him. How much does it fuck a guy up to go through something like this?

"Cas," he says softly and places a hand on his shoulder. Castiel looks up with such a hope that Dean can help him, that before he realizes what he’s doing Dean pulls him into an embrace.

Cas gasps in surprise but then winds his arms around Dean and rests his chin on his shoulder.

"We’re going to make it. I’ll help you," Dean promises. He runs his hand through Cas’ hair absentmindedly.

"I will wake you up if you have a nightmare. I’ll be here for you to remind you that you’re not back there, that you’re not alone in the dark anymore."

"Thank you," Cas whispers, his breath hot against Dean’s neck.

 

Not sleeping isn’t an option. They are already tired at the beginning of their way home after working all day.

Dean has some stimulants pilots use in case of emergency but they only keep you alert for a short time, there’s no way they’d keep Cas awake for eight hours. So Dean gets him into a bed despite his protests. There are two narrow bunks at the cargo part of the ship. They squeeze themselves on one of them. Dean wraps himself around Cas, whispering and humming songs into his ear until Cas relaxes in his arms and finally succumbs to sleep.

They make it through the night. The Impala flies them safely home on autopilot.

 

As much as Dean tries to fight it, things change between them after that night. Well, maybe that’s not exactly how it is. Cas acts the same as before, it’s Dean who can’t shake that night off. He looks at Cas and remembers the feeling of his hard body in his arms, he remembers how soft Cas’ hair was against his cheek, how good he smells.

He doesn’t start avoiding him, not really, they still talk when they are on missions, but Dean finds ways to spend his time that don’t include Cas. It’s easier when Sam wakes up.

The healing process is so complex that he should be fit to return to work right away, but the doctors make him take some time for convalescence anyway. Dean spends every minute he can by Sam’s side as if making up for the lost time.

Hearing Sam laugh again is the best sound ever. Even though Dean’s traitorous mind keeps reminding him of another laughter that makes his heart flutter.

 

"Are you sure you’re not going? You love Kella." Cas says as he packs for his vacation on a near planet. Kella is a beautiful place with warm sea, cozy bars and perky people with skin the color of liquid gold.

"I’d rather stay with Sammy."

Cas nods. "I understand." He hides his disappointment well but Dean knows him too well by now to miss it.

"Enjoy your vacation," he says with a small wave and leaves for Sam’s living quarters.

 

The news comes when Dean’s eating dinner with Sam and Jess in the dining area of their room.

The ship that was taking part of the crew for their vacation on Kella has been kidnapped by Qaws.

Dean shoots up from his chair the moment he hears it from the comms.

"Dean? What’s going on?" Sam calls after him.

"Cas was on board."

He runs through the corridors that are already in chaos. A lot of people have their friends and family on that ship.

"I’m going," Dean exclaims when he gets to the docks. "I want to be a part of the rescue mission."

Henriksen turns to him. "That’s not a good idea, Winchester. We have professionals trained for that."

"Fuck you, Victor. My friends are there. My ship is good. I’m a good pilot. I’m going."

Henriksen opens his mouth to protest but something in Dean’s expression stops him.

He points a finger into Dean’s face.

"No solo actions. No heroic bullshit. You’re gonna obey orders, capisce?"

"Capisce."

 

Dean tries to stay focused when the Qaw fleet comes to view, but his hands are shaking on the control panel. He can’t stop thinking about Cas getting hurt by the same bastards that killed his family. Dean imagines how scared he must be, all his memories rushing back to him, and all he wants to do is rush into the enemies’ mids and getting to Cas. He can’t do that though, he promised to be good, he can’t take risks, the stakes are too high- So he obediently follows the other ships and waits for the orders.

Adrenalin is rushing through his veins when the fight starts. He’s shooting and maneuvering with the thought that each enemy taken down is a step closer to Cas.

They are whoops of victory coming through the comms when they get a hold of their ship.

"Winchester, you were damn good. Your position is a waste of talent."

Dean knows Victor means his position as the space cab driver. Dean shakes his head, breathing heavily.

"I was never more glad I’m not a fighter anymore," he admits. His heart is beating crazily with fear. Not fear for his own life, but for Cas and all the people on the board of the kidnapped ship.

"You were good, Thanks for joining us," Victor adds sounding a bit disappointed.

"If you want to express your gratitude, let me get o board."

"Dean-"

"Victor, I need to go there myself." Victor must hear it in Dean’s voice how important it is for him because a moment later he gives an order and names Impala as one of the ships to make contact with the rescued vessel.

 The moment they board the ship, they know something’s wrong. The ship is too silent, almost as if it’s empty. There's a huge possibility the Qaws had evacuated but...Dean doesn't want to think what happened with the original crew.

The ship is damaged, it’s like walking through the insides of a dying animal. The life support is running on emergency power, the lights are out, it’s cold and the air is thin. Dean can hear his own frantic heartbeat even over the heavy steps of his comrades.

They check every room they pass from the bridge to the stern and find them all empty. Then they arrive at the cargo hold. The door is shut.

„Scan for signs of life“  Dean holds up his wristband. It beeps as it shows him that there are 35 signs of life. Mostly humans, no Qaws.

„They are inside!“ he says and someone rushes past him to to the door. They have to open the wall panel to get to the power cords of the lock. It takes just a few minutes, but to Dean, it feels like years.

Then they’re finally in.

The crew members are huddled together, they look up at their rescuers and slowly the room fills with cheers.

But Dean doesn’t see him. He walks through the room ignoring everyone who tries to talk to him. His knees are getting weak with every step, with every face that turn to him that isn’t Castiel’s.

"Dean? "

Dean turns around. Cas is sitting on the ground, hugging his knees, looking up at Dean with wide eyes.

Dean feels like his heart is going to leap out of his chest.

"Cas, thank god!" He gives him a hand and hauls him to his feet. Grabbing his shoulders, he inspects him for injuries.

"Dean, I’m okay, I’m okay."

Dean nods, it has to be enough for now. He helps with getting the crew safely on board of the rescue ships and announces to Henriksen that he’s taking Cas home himself.

Only when they are in the privacy of the Impala, they properly look at each other.

"Dean, you-"

Dean doesn’t let him talk. He pulls him into a fierce hug. Cas lets out a heavy breath and wraps his arms around Dean, squeezing him hard.

"God, I was so scared," Dean says when he pulls away just so he can look Cas in the face. "Was it bad?“

Castiel shakes his head. His eyes are dark and intense, fixed on Dean’s.

"I closed my eyes and imagined you were with me. I hummed some of the songs you sang to me."

Dean’s heart swells in his chest. He hugs Cas again, breathing in his smell.

He feels Cas’ lips brush his cheek and instinctively turns his head. Their lips meet on accident at first, but then Cas presses harder and it turns into a proper kiss.

Cas’ lips are soft and warm and Dean remembers hating them. He thinks it’s time to admit to himself part of why he disliked Castiel at first was his attraction to him.

Cas breaks the kiss and looks into Dean’s eyes. There’s a hint of red in his cheeks and he’s a bit breathless.

"If you’re going to withdraw yourself again as you did after that night, I’m not going to make it this time."

Dean huffs out a laugh and shakes his head.

"You were wrong. I’m stupid. I was being an idiot the whole time."

Castiel runs his hands through Dean’s hair.

"No, not stupid. Kind, compassionate, funny and gorgeous. Just a little slow sometimes. But you’re not the only one."

Dean laughs again, he feels light-headed.

"I’m kinda grateful you’ve been kidnapped."

Cas makes an exasperated sound that dies when Dean kisses him.

  
  



End file.
